Is Grassroots Motorsports grass roots?

Heck, we need an article comparing something like a modified E30, NA or NB Miata, or RX7 to stock newer cars like the FRS, Focus ST, and V6 Accord/Camry. How well would a stock V6 Camry do against a race-prepped E30?

David S. Wallens wrote: Ten years ago the ship was steered by Tim, Margie, JG and I, and we're still all here in the same positions.

I don't know about you, but I'm considerably more hunched over.

BrettMuphy used a great word: ethic.

I think it's really easy to get hung up on numbers and miss a lot of cool stuff in the process. I think when we make editorial decisions we try and focus on the Grassroots ethic and not the Grassroots price ceiling.

I went to Sebring recently and check out a few new track cars. These were dedicated machines like Radicals and Wolfs and Pragas that couldn't be considered to be Grassroots by any stretch of the budget imagination. But their focus—not on racing but on giving people a type of track experience they simply couldn't get elsewhere, was kind of cool. Now, will that be a 10-page story? Probably not. But we think it's worthy of at least some ink because while it may only be accessible to a small portion our readers, it's relatable to a lot of them.

On the other end of the spectrum, I worked on my F500 for a bit last night. So far I'm into the car for about $6k, and I've got about four FTDs in my first six events with it. I'm convinced it's the best speed-per-$ ratio you can find for autocrossing.

Then on another, even more terrifying, end of the spectrum, is the subset of readers who build car parts out of old dishwashers and discarded medical equipment. You'll read about a bunch of them in the issue that's in the mail right now.

rotard wrote: Heck, we need an article comparing something like a modified E30, NA or NB Miata, or RX7 to stock newer cars like the FRS, Focus ST, and V6 Accord/Camry. How well would a stock V6 Camry do against a race-prepped E30?

That would be cool but they need to be on same tires or its pointless

Brabham is grassroots:

http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/project-brabham-enters-next-crucial-fundraising-stage/

I mean you can't get more grassroots than a crowdfunded LMP2 car.

Adrian_Thompson wrote: Personally the best thing I can think of to make the challenge better would be to completely lift the budget cap and let people run wild. You could turn up with a brand new $2.5M Bugatti, but it would loose hands down to just about anything the Nelson family brings as 50% of the score would be on ingenuity.

I think you just described the Ultimate Track Car Challenge. Someday, Red Bull F1 will show up.

Personally, I value the articles where I learn something the most. Car writeups are cool to see, but usually only the wildest grab my attention as they all start to blur together over the years. But give me a good article on fabrication or how to make your own CF wing and I'm a happy reader.

JG Pasterjak wrote: I think it's really easy to get hung up on numbers and miss a lot of cool stuff in the process. I think when we make editorial decisions we try and focus on the Grassroots ethic and not the Grassroots price ceiling.

This. I've been reading GRM for 16 years and I like the content mix over the years. Except for the drifting.

@ the OP. Everything can be Grassroots. From Valve cover racing to F1. Took me 10+ years to realize it combined with some heated discussions many years ago with Tim. Something about broken legs, wood sheds, back fences and who had the bigger tool box were all part of the "discussion" . To everyone Grassroots it is different and yet if you step back and look at the big picture it is all the same. That is what makes it so cool. It is also why I believe that GRM has been so successful and will continue to be in the future.

I only subscribe Classic Motorsports, and I'm not really a "racer" so the GRMS magazine is too hard core for me, but the Grassroots element of the magazine/forum has never been something to be confused with working with an overly challenged budget. Anyone who has a "toy" car is likely doing OK; it would be really irresponsible to keep a car and let the lights go out.

Anyone is grassroots who leverages their own abilities to achieve more than they could by hiring it out or just buying it within their financial means. In that sense, Richard Branson even has a grassroots quality.

Too much pissing and moaning going on in this thread. Don't you guys have some project cars to work on?

In reply to 92dxman:

Its too cold for that E36 M3

There's an abundant lack of money occurring presently.....until I'm ghetto rich with my tax refund and then even more will trickle in once a few other things get sold as I'm thinning the herd(My signature hasn't been able to keep up )

Sadly it would be more likely for me to make a UTCC than the 201x challenge.

I believe GRM is mostly grassroots. Where else can you find people excided about a $1,000 project, a Reliant Robin or a Corvair? These folks are easier to deal with than those on a VW - Honda et al Forum, less flaming.

I also believe GRM magazine has changed quite a bit since I started reading, more ads more BS, more high dollar articles, but this is a business. I smile and nod or just shrug, glad to be here with a group of like minded people that don't bust my (deservedly so) stones for my choices or opinions.

The link that won't light up is of a BMW E30 I bought for $400. Find that somewhere else .....

Adrian_Thompson wrote: Personally the best thing I can think of to make the challenge better would be to completely lift the budget cap and let people run wild. You could turn up with a brand new $2.5M Bugatti, but it would loose hands down to just about anything the Nelson family brings as 50% of the score would be on ingenuity.

This is what I like about AXIS at limerock park, nothing makes you feel better than beating a formula car, and a gallardo in an mr2 or an mx5.

mattmacklind wrote: I only subscribe Classic Motorsports, and I'm not really a "racer" so the GRMS magazine is too hard core for me, but the Grassroots element of the magazine/forum has never been something to be confused with working with an overly challenged budget. Anyone who has a "toy" car is likely doing OK; it would be really irresponsible to keep a car and let the lights go out. Anyone is grassroots who leverages their own abilities to achieve more than they could by hiring it out or just buying it within their financial means. In that sense, Richard Branson even has a grassroots quality.

Yes!

Do you have a car you like that you work on and mod yourself? Bang! Grassroots.

I think of non-Grassroots of the guys who get their HPDE cars built/prepped by a shop.

(Admittedly, I would if I could. I like driving, not wrenching.)

I look at this forum as GRM...we all love cars, and like hearing about projects and the next "big thing" in motorsports. Even if you can't swing participating in ALMS or WRC or F1 or whatever, you can still appreciate the coolness of being there.

I just like the GRM vibe.

How about doing some ideas that might cover some racing that does see the light of day in most places. The mile of mud in naples florida would cool. Mower racing still needs to be covered cause the magazine name says it all....grass roots....running on grass. Some different types of off road racing, from short track to baja would be cool to see something on. How about bus racing and bus demo derby....totaly wacky to cover for fun with a short idea. Figure 8 racing from the pro levels to the really cheap local circle track. Utv's are gaining ground on being very popular and could fun to see what it takes to race them some where. Tracter and truck pulls, something simple to explain the different levelsbof the sport and even talk about old tractor pulling also. Something that how do you go about doing it and different levels to understand when you watch it in person or tv. Combine demo derby for the totaly from left feild of motor sports. I know karting gets talked about on the boards a lot, how about something that explains the different levels and styles of karts that you can race. Boat racing seeesvto fun to think about, just an idea of different types of boats that can be raced and where. Dirt track racing gets talked about on here, how about a artical on the different levels and classes that can be run at the different tracks sround the country. How about an update on demo derby with different classes that seemsvto have poped up innthevlast 10 years and how much effert some of the spend in setting up some very hard core cars. How about talking about a different level of sports and talk about the high school level of motorcsports that high schools are into. I know a lot of people will get upset about this stuff, but think about running a very different typesbof issue now and then with something like I talked about, but now and there are going to some type ofbpeople that mightblove the ideas that I talked about.

sjd wrote:

JG Pasterjak wrote: I think it's really easy to get hung up on numbers and miss a lot of cool stuff in the process. I think when we make editorial decisions we try and focus on the Grassroots ethic and not the Grassroots price ceiling.

This. I've been reading GRM for 16 years and I like the content mix over the years. Except for the drifting.

Funny you mention that, as the drifting issue back in 2003 was the first issue I ever bought.

I also wonder if maybe there isn't a saturation level many of us reach? I used to consume every GRM the minute it arrived and dissect every article for as much knowledge as I could. After ten or so years of it though I've maybe culled the bulk of the knowledge I'm likely to get from it. Yes, I can be constantly learning and picking up little nuggets of new information here and there but at some point it became an issue of diminishing returns. I found myself no longer needing that fix. The articles were more "ho-hum" to me than "OMG!". It may not be that the content changed so much as I simply graduated from the GRM University. I still think it's a fine magazine but I no longer subscribe to it and only read the occasional issue that has something that really piques my interest.

I've also gone from subscribing to a half-dozen magazines to only one. Some of that is because my interests have changed over 30 years and some is because many of the magazines are no longer very good (mainstream car rags). Probably some of it is because the internet can satisfy my quests for information and entertainment quicker and more cheaply. There may not be one answer to my changing tastes but for the GRM question I think the first paragraph explains most of it. That is no fault of Tim and the staff, IMO.

I like the magazine, it is a bit "hardcore". I'd like to see more about the science of performance, suspension design and improvement, improving engine performance, etc.